The Experimental Crafter

This Blog is Moving

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 22:03:00 +0000

Hey All!

I have decided I would like to incorporate more blog posts about my artwork into my blog, so I am changing the name. You can now find me blogging at: JennyChangTheArtist.com

I will not be updating this blog anymore so please stop by the new site!

Blogger Swap!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Hey Friends-

I recently participated in a fun blogger swap hosted by Miche of Buttons and Birdcages. We were all paired up with another blogger and sent each other fun gifts in the mail! I was paired with Alexa of Almost A Hippy. Look at all these goodies she sent me!

Some treats for me, including a lovely scarf, some eye shadow and lipgloss, a chocolate bar, and a mini frame crafting kit. I'm pretty excited about all of it, but come on, chocolate. After my year spent studying in England, I got pretty hooked on Cadbury chocolate.

She also included this cute, fleece fabric. I want to make something for my little girl with it but am not sure what yet. Any suggestions? I have about a fourth to a half of a yard.

If you want to check out any of the other blogs participating, check them out below. We were a little late to share our posts because the first package I sent got lost in the mail. Yikes!

Buttons and Birdcages and Aligator Toe

Spoolish and Mrs Fox's Finery & Fancies

Frou Frou by Love Nicky and Thrift Your Heart Out

Lemonade Runway and Fun Crafty Savy Mom

Dash of Rose and Being Zhenya

Extra Extravagant and That Cold September Night

Yarn Pendant

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 06:49:00 +0000

Hey Crafty Friends-

Here's a fun and simple project if you feel like wearing your love of knitting on your sleeve...err...neck.

You will need a metal pendant piece (I don't know the technical term), yarn, glue, and cardboard.

Start by cutting the cardboard slightly smaller than the size of your pendant. Cover one side with glue and start wrapping the yarn around.

Alternate the direction you wrap to make a woven pattern. Cover all edges of the cardboard.

Now fill your pendant with glue and press the yarn piece into it. Hold or clamp until it dries a little.

Done! Looking good, you beautiful yarn crafter, you.

Travel Map Tote

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 20:48:00 +0000

Hello! Did everyone have a nice Christmas? We had a jam-packed week in KS visiting my family. It was wonderful. There wasn't much time for crafting, but I did whip this guy up the night before we left.

I ordered this tote bag crafting kit from Darby Smart. I used some of my own paint along with the materials in the kit and ended up with this map tote.

As cool as it was, I thought it would be fun to dress it up a bit more by marking where I have traveled on it. I used embroidery floss to add a little yellow "x" to my home state. After we returned home from KS, I used some red floss to mark off Kansas City.

I stored my needle and thread in a small Altoids tin and plan on carrying it with me while I travel. I don't really want to try and go back and add all the places I have been already so I'm going to just start marking from now on.

I had a lot of fun making this project. It was easy to create but feels really fun and personal.

Handmade Gift Exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 05:28:00 +0000

Hello friends!

Is everyone getting ready for Christmas? I'm mostly trying to keep the baby from pulling off ornaments and eating them. However, with my little bit of spare time, I participated in a fun gift exchange hosted by Craftaholics Anonymous. I was paired up with another crafter and we sent each other gifts. Here is what I sent:

I decorated this wooden box by decoupaging a floral napkin onto the top. Before attaching it, I cut out the word CREATE to leave the wood poking through. Next I filled the box with lots of little crafting goodies. When you are a craft hoarder like me, you build up quite the supply. Everything was color-coordinated of course :)

I also wanted to send something a bit more "handmade" so I created this little owl ornament. I was so happy with it that I made a few more to add to my shop. You know, it happens. I was a little late sending my gift so I also threw in one of my peacock prints.

In exchange, I got this wonderful chalkboard bunting. I had a hard time getting a good picture of it because we hung it over a glass door. Hopefully you can see it alright. It's very cute. Right now, it says "Happy Christmas" but it will be very fun to change it up for parties.

I loved getting such a beautifully sewn gift because my sewing skills are still developing. That's the fun of an exchange like this.

Has anyone else tried something like this? Any exchanges that you have really enjoyed?

Family Photo Cloth Book- Creating the Image

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 17:03:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

I've gotten a few questions about how to create the image for the family photo cloth book. I'm going to do my best to explain this, but feel free to continue to ask questions. I'm not a photoshop expert so I'll just explain it all the best I can!

As I said before, I ordered a fat quarter of my fabric from Spoonflower. A fat quarter is 18”x21.” In order to have 10 images plus a front and back cover, each image will need to be 6” tall and 5.25” wide.

Start by determining your cover. I used a pattern that I scanned into my computer and added a picture of my daughter. Whatever your cover, create an image that is 6” tall and 10.5” across (for front and back cover). To do this, choose Image>Image Size and then adjust size in inches.

Now go to Image>Canvas Size and adjust the canvas size to 18”x21.” Set it so that it will extend down and to the right.

Open your next image you would like and adjust that image to be 6”x5.25.” Select all and copy image.

Now go to your first image (the large one with cover) and paste next image. Move image until it is next to the right of the cover.

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 and continue to paste onto your cover image until you have filled in all of the pages.

To add the color blocks with names, choose the Draw Shapes tool and draw a colored rectangle at the bottom of each image. Finally, use the Text Tool to add the names at the bottom of each page, over the rectangles.

When finished, make sure the save as a jpeg.

Blog Flashback- Needle Felted Dalek

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 19:58:00 +0000

In honor of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary tomorrow, here's a little taste of blogs past. Remember my needle-felted Dalek?

You might not be able to make it by tomorrow, but it would be a great little craft for afterward.

Family Halloween Costume- Rock, Paper, Scissors

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 22:54:00 +0000

Wow. The last few weeks have been quite the whirlwind. One case of bronchitis and a lot of packing later, and we now are living in our brand new home. During that time, my major craft project was making our Halloween costumes. Can you tell what we are?

Paper covers rock, rock crushes scissors.

Rock paper scissors. Scissors was made after the move with a bare minimum of craft supplies unpacked so you really have to use your imagination. The shirt is supposed to be the handles (with the arms forming the circles) and the legs are the blades. I found the silver fabric at Goodwill. I was pretty excited :)

Ok. I guess we all get along after all.

It was actually a pretty easy costume. My paper skirt was made by drawing lines on felt and sewing the pieces onto a thrifted white skirt. My t-shirt was based on this one, although I used sharpie. Rock baby was made by sewing flannel onto a thrifted fleece outfit and hat.

Glasses Cat Onesie

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 21:37:00 +0000

Just a brief bit of inspiration for you today. Somehow all of my step-by-step photos got deleted. But, it's pretty easy so you can figure it out.

I took a picture of our cat, turned it black and white, and then printed it on iron-on paper. I ironed it onto a plain white onesie. Then I cut out glasses from red jersey fabric and stitched them on.

The onesie is already stained. Oh the joys of a baby.

Simple Housewarming Gift Basket

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 16:27:00 +0000

Some friends of ours recently bought a house and we wanted to give them a little present to celebrate. I had seen some housewarming gift baskets on other sites before and wanted to try making my own.

My husband made this adorable little basket out of cardboard and we filled it with some things we thought would be helpful for the move: cute sponges, picture hangers, command hooks, Magic Erasers, Goo Gone, kleenex, a scented candle, and some basil-scented dish soap (this stuff smells amazing!).

In addition, I made a little embroidery piece for them that said "Home Sweet Home." I stitched the words onto a piece of vintage sheet and glued the final product onto a small canvas.

Easy Geometric Water Bottle Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 17:00:00 +0000

I recently got a free plastic water bottle as one of those thanks-for-working-with-our-company kind of gifts. It was clear and boring. I changed that.

This is a really easy project. Take your water bottle and cover it with stickers to make your design. I used small rectangles that I found in the office supply section of Fred Myer and formed a geometric, tribal design. If you are planning on blogging about it, be sure to take a poorly-lit, blurry photo.

Next, I covered the whole thing with pink spraypaint. I used a kind that was marked for use on plastic. I'm actually not sure if it matters. Anyone?

Once dry, peel off the stickers. Now consume copious amounts of water. Hooray!

Desktop Photo Calendar- Tutorial and Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 04:40:00 +0000

Today I am going to show you how to make a simple photo calendar to keep at your desk. THEN I have a giveaway for you. Am I going to give you a calendar featuring photos of my baby? No. That would be weird. However, I will give you the chance to win your very own copy of the digital scrap-booking software I used to make it. Get excited.

I created my calendar using My Memories Suite. I started with a blank album and added a floral background and then added photos of my baby and monthly calendars for 2014. I kept it simple, but the software has lots of options for customizing with text, images, and borders.

Once I was finished, I printed the calendar out on thick card stock. You may notice that the printed copy does not look as bright as the screenshot. Turns out my printer was running out of ink. I was happy with the vintage feel of it, but probably should replace my print cartridge.

I finished by cutting out the pages and clipping them on a clipboard. This can then be hung on a wall or even propped on your desk.

Exciting, huh? I had a lot of fun using My Memories Suite software. I was given a free copy of the software to review and giveaway, so let me give you my thoughts on it.

Pros:

I liked the variety of decorative elements. Since the pages mimic real scrap-booking materials, there were lots of options for mimicking real paper.
Lots of project options. I have made a card and a calendar, as well as a basic album. There are options to create slideshows complete with music.
Relatively easy to use. I opened the program and just started to play around. I was quickly able to figure out basic commands.

Cons:

While making the calendar, I couldn't figure out how to automatically fill in a complete 12 month calendar. I had to add in 12 pages and then manually change each page to the correct month.
I also couldn't figure out how to print two pages on one sheet of paper. I'm not sure if this is a con or not. It could be the software but it could also be me.

Overall Impression: Versatile software that is perfect for creating projects at home.

Now that you made it through all that, want to win your own copy? C'mon, you know you want to (peer pressure in action folks). Enter in the rafflecopter below. I'll announce a winner in two weeks.
a Rafflecopter giveaway I was given a free copy of this software to review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

DIY Baby Photo Album Soft Book

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:36:00 +0000

Hello friends! I have a project to share today that I am really excited about. I've been planning it for months and finally got around to making it. It's a photo album for my daughter! All of our family lives far away and I wanted to help her learn who everyone is (eventually). She also really loves the soft fabric books. Family+Fabric Book= Family photo album soft book!

I used Spoonflower to create my fabric. If you don't know Spoonflower, you should check out their site. You can get custom-printed fabric. I wanted to go this route rather than printable iron-ons because I was worried about bits flaking off as she chewed on it.

I created the fabric design in photoshop and scaled it to fit a fat quarter (18"x 21"). If you need more info on how to do this, see this post. You can also just look at the picture below to see how everything was laid out. I planned it so the pages going across could fold in half (you'll see what I mean further down.)

I smudged out the cousins names in case their parents don't want that on the internet. They actually have names in the book :) And in case you are wondering, Halmoni and Haraboji are grandma and grandpa in Korean.

Once I ordered my fabric, I checked the mail excitedly for awhile until it came. Yay! Then I got to work.

I started by cutting my images into three strips. I trimmed right to the edge along the top and bottom but left the side edges as they were.

Next, I folded each page in half with the right-sides together. I ironed the fold to hold it in place and then serged the other edge. NOTE: Be careful about this. I wasn't thinking about where my stitches were going to end up and I sewed too far in. It didn't really hurt the project, but when I turned it inside out, the pages on that side were slightly smaller than the other side.

Next, I cut out pieces of fusible fleece that were slightly smaller than the pages. By leaving a gap in the middle of each page spread, I was hoping to reduce bulk at the spine and make the pages easier to turn. I ironed these onto the wrong sides of the pages.

I then sewed the top and bottom of the pages using my normal sewing machine and leaving a small gap along one side. I then turned the pages inside out and sewed along the entire outer edge.

Finally, I stacked the pages and sewed several times through the middle to hold it all in place.

It's done! I was really excited to make this so I worked through it really quickly. If I make another, I think it might be fun to add little ribbon "tabs" to each page.

I'm pretty sure my girl is a fan. She started screeching really loudly when she looked at it. Excitement?

Fabric Pouch Makeover: Two Ways

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 02:46:00 +0000

Does anyone else love the Dollar Spot at Target? Who am I kidding, everyone loves the Dollar Spot. Well, you should go right now because they have some cute little fabric pouches. You could use them as is, but really why not personalize?

The first one I made by simply drawing a design on with a fabric sharpie. I started by sketching out a design in pencil. I chose a Dalek because I'm a Doctor Who fanatic but you can do whatever.

Then I just went over it with my sharpie. After some quick advice on Facebook, I added the word "Consolidate." (It's better if you say it in a Dalek voice.)

For the next bag, I went a little girlier. I started by cutting out a square of fabric and a square of iron on interfacing. Then trace a frame on the paper of the interfacing; I used a circle and then added little bumps all around the edge. Cut out the fabric and iron onto the bag.

To add a silhouette, draw a design on freezer paper. I drew a circle and then found a silhouette image online. If you hold the paper up to the screen, you can trace it. Then cut out the circle and silhouette.

Iron these pieces onto the fabric. Then fill in with black fabric paint. I didn't have any paint so I used a fabric stamp pad. Just use a makeup sponge to fill in the area.

The freezer paper then just peels off. I used my fabric sharpie to add some details to the frame.

So there you go! Two ways to do a pouch. Or just combine them and do a Dalek silhouette...

My Attempt at a Stuffed Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 23:22:00 +0000

All I can say, is I'm glad my daughter is only 6 months old and doesn't know what a sheep looks like.

The Iron Craft Challenge this week was to make something on the theme of sleep/bed/night. I had some leftover white minky fabric from my taggie toy, so a sheep seemed like the perfect craft. I pictured a lovely stuffed sheep like they used to sell at Bath and Body Works.

These sheep were adorable. I think I could have an entire room full of them. Image source.

Mine did not turn out quite so nicely. I was going to write up a tutorial but I don't think that's going to happen until I fix it a bit. Basically, I used this pattern to make a ball and then added sheep features that I made up.

The end result looks a bit like a cross between a sheep and an armadillo. Hopefully with a little tweaking I can improve with time, at least by the time my girl is old enough to recognize a sheep :)

Want to check out more Iron Craft projects? Visit the flickr group here and the blog here.

Photo Book for Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Really, the best gifts are given a month late, right? I finally finished my Father's Day gift for my husband and am now able to share it here. I chose to make him a photo book full of funny, altered pictures of our daughter.

I was inspired by this artist. I had seen some of her fun baby photos and wanted to do something similar. It took a long time but with some simple photo-shopping, I ending up with a book full of unique photos.

Once done, I loaded them all onto Shutterfly and created an album. I went with a simple black background and white text to narrate.

I've shared some of my favorites here. I hope they help inspire you. [and yes, we do make our baby pretend to ride the cat]

Footstool Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 00:16:00 +0000

I'm addicted to thrift store shopping. I can't help myself. I mean, even if I was just there, there could be something new. Which means that I bring home random items on a regular basis. Recently, I found this little gem:

For $3, it seemed like the perfect project to make over. To make it even easier, the cushion wasn't attached so it easily came apart into two pieces. I started by removing the fabric and giving the wood a light sanding.

Next, I attached new fabric using the existing tacks and spray painting the frame. Finally I attached velcro to both the frame and the cushion to hold it in place. Done!

It makes a great footstool for a regular sized adult...or the perfect seat for a little baby.

Mini Pudding Pies

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 06:03:00 +0000

I've been making popsicles lately. Today was pudding pop day. Is there anything better than a pudding pop? Well, hopefully. Because this post isn't about pudding pops. It's about what you do with your leftover pudding; mini pudding pies.

See, after I finished my pudding pops, I had leftover pudding. At first I was like, duh, eat it. After a couple of bites though, I decided to be more creative and make mini pies.

I started by smashing up some graham crackers for the crust. I combined this with about a tablespoon of melted butter. Then I got really crazy and added some chopped walnuts. You can follow your heart on this one; I really liked the addition of walnuts but my husband was less of a fan.

Now smush (technical term) the graham cracker-butter concoction into a small dish. I used some creme brulee dishes. Press into the bottom and slowly scoot it up the edges to form a little rim.

Spoon your pudding into the dish. I used two kinds in each and then dragged a chopstick through to make streaks. You can use only one kind if you like. I topped with a walnut.

Stick in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy. Clearly, we enjoyed them.

Crinkle Tag Toy for Baby- DIY Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000

So babies. They chew everything. Everything. And there is a lot of drool. Copious amounts of drool. Really the only solution is to give them something soft and absorbent to chew on. Enter the taggie toy.

I'd seen similar toys around and thought my little drool-face (term of endearment) would like one. Since I'm crafty and a fabric hoarder, I decided to make my own. Double bonus that it fit with this week's Iron Craft challenge to make something with a needle!

I started by cutting 9" squares of two different fabrics. If you want to add a crinkle layer, cut another square of plastic to go in the middle. I used a Twizzlers bag (am I the only one in the world that likes chocolate Twizzlers? I think they are so good!).

Next, cut small pieces of ribbon to go around the edge. I found some really adorable ribbon at Michaels (the bicycles, glasses, and cameras) and then added to those from my stash. Make each piece a couple of inches. I pinned the pieces to the square as I went just so I didn't cut too much ribbon.

When you pin it, attach it to the RIGHT side of the fabric with the folded ends towards the middle of the fabric. If you mess up the direction, you will end up with all your tags on the inside (like I did on my first attempt). Sew along the edges to hold all of your ribbons in place.

I then attached the plastic layer to the other square of fabric (you don't have to do this but I didn't want my layers shifting around). Next, sew your squares together, right sides together. Leave a few inches on one side.

Turn inside out and sew around the edge to close the opening. Now you are all done!

I think she seems like a happy customer.

I've washed mine in the washing machine and it did fine but I wouldn't recommend the dryer if you added a plastic layer. I made one without a crinkle layer and it did fine in the dryer. As always, be extra careful since this is for a baby. Double check that your removed your pins, there's no loose ribbons, etc.

Want to check out more Iron Craft projects? Visit the flickr group here and the blog here.

DIY Milk Glass Vase Using Mod Melts

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 21:01:00 +0000

Hello! I'm back from a two week road trip with the family. We packed up our four-month-old and drove down to LA to visit family. A little crazy and a lot of fun. But let me tell you, after two weeks not crafting, I start to get a little crazy. Particularly when I read about new craft supplies that I want to try out.

Enter Mod Melts. I saw them on another blog and wanted to try them out immediately. Basically, you buy these special hot glue sticks that you can put in your normal hot glue gun. You then use the melted glue to fill a mold and make an embellishment. I bought some as soon as I got home and made this vase. I'm excited.

I started with a clear glass vase from Goodwill. I squeezed a bunch of white acrylic paint into it and started rolling it around to fill the inside.

Once covered, I set this aside and started working on the Mod Melts. This part was easy. Stick glue stick into glue gun and squeeze into mold. Let sit from several minutes. Pop out. Once I had several pieced that I liked, I glued them onto the vase using more of the same Mod Melt. [In case you are wondering how well this adheres, it stays really well. I messed up and it took FOREVER to get the flower piece back off.]

Done! Do you like it? Can you tell that my bookshelf is arranged by color?

Baby Shower Guest Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 29 May 2013 19:56:00 +0000

Hi All-

Here is a great little project to create for a baby shower, wedding, bridal shower, or really any party you want. It's a tree with leaves for guests to write their names or wishes for the baby/bride/birthday girl, whatever!

I created this one in particular for a friend's baby shower. I started with a large piece of watercolor board. I found my board at Michaels. I had never used this kind of board before but wanted something sturdy but also something with the option of framing. I prefer ink and watercolor, but you can use whatever medium you prefer :)

I started by sketching the outline of a tree with pencil. I then outlined everything in ink and erased the pencil. Then watercolor! Be sure to check that your ink will not run when you start painting with watercolor. I have made this mistake before and it is not fun.

For this particular tree, I added the baby's initial in a heart on the tree trunk. Depending on whether you already know the name, you may want to omit this or add another detail.

Finally, cut out leaves from thick cardstock for the guests to write on. I chose colors that will coordinate with the nursery because I know they would like to hang this in there. I also chose to outline each leave in black to help it pop a bit.

I didn't get a picture at the party of the finished tree because I'm awesome like that. The guests had a lot of fun writing wishes for the baby on their leaves and then I used a heavy duty glue stick to attach. Be sure to bring extra leaves because people will mess up and want another one.

Doctor Who Crafts

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:56:00 +0000

In case you weren't aware, the season finale of Doctor Who is happening this weekend. Because we are total geeks, we are hosting a viewing party complete with themed food and costumes. I said that if people were willing to dress up, I would have prizes for best costume. Here's what I came up with. No tutorials, just inspiration.

A pop art Dalek. Just giving you the chance to exterminate in style.

Bow-tie mug. My mug wears a bow-tie now. Bow-ties are cool.

Sewing Triumphs and Trepidations

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:23:00 +0000

Over the last couple of years, I have slowly been teaching myself to sew. My skills are improving but I still have lots to learn. Most of my projects involve straight lines :) This week, I did something slightly more advanced and made my daughter a dress using this pattern from See Kate Sew. Her blog is awesome and has lots of easy to follow projects.

The dress turned out really well. I used a remnant that I found at Joanns and just love the pattern. Can't you tell how excited my girl is to be wearing it? She started laughing last week but still loves to make angry face at the camera.

Also at Joanns, I found some really fun sailboat printed fabric. I thought it would make a beautiful top so I found a pattern and bought the fabric. I'm a little terrified of it though. Sewing with sheer fabric scares me and this pattern is the most complicated one I've tried yet.

I'm planning on making the left, middle top and I could use some advice on it. The pattern requires bias tape for the edges. I think normal bias tape would look odd. Is there something else I can use or should I just try to hem the edges? Any thoughts?

Bias Tape Daffodils: A Mothers Day Bouquet

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Big news guys. I've started participating in Iron Craft again. This is my first week back and I'm pumped. This week we were challenged to create something using sewing notions. I made daffodils. Since my mom lives far away, I gave these to myself :) It is my first Mothers Day after all.

Start by gathering some supplies. Feel free to experiment a little based on the supplies you already have. I'm kind of a craft hoarder and always buy those bags of random sewing notions that they sell at Goodwill so I had a stash. Here is basically what you need:

-For the petals: yellow bias tape.
-For the middle part: orange fabric, lace trim
-For the stem: wire and green fabric or green bias tape
-A hot glue gun

Start by cutting a section of wire that will be your stem. I used some really thick wire that I found at the hardware store. This will form the base of your flower. You will then form the orange part on one end [apparently that part is called the corona].

I formed the orange section two different ways. The first was using some lace trim I had on hand. Although it had some orange on it, I colored it in to brighten it up. Again, you can do this two ways: fabric paint or fabric marker.

The other way to make the center is with fabric. I cut a square of orange fabric using pinking shears and then folded it in half.

With both of these, roll them around the edge of the wire, hot-gluing as you go. This will form a nice tube of orange.

To make the petals, cut several small strips of bias tape, about 5" each. Then fold as shown below. Hot glue the folded section and the two ends together.

Next glue the petals around your flower. I liked the way they flopped about; it looked realistic. If you need a petal to stick up a bit more, just glue the petal a little further up.

Finally, use some green fabric or bias tape to wrap the stem. Make sure to cover the edges of your petals at the top to keep things looking tidy.

That's it! You can make a whole bouquet. I had fun trying out different materials and ways of doing it. If you make your own, I would love to see what you try out!

Want to check out more Iron Craft projects? Visit the flickr group here and the blog here.

Fabric Belt Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:53:00 +0000

Here's a quick and easy project to jazz up any outfit. To make this fabric belt, you need a fat quarter of fabric and a set of D rings (you can find them at a fabric store like Joann).

Start by cutting two strips of fabric. The total length of the strips should be how long you need your belt to be so you should measure your waist and add a few inches. The height will be twice the size of your D ring plus a little. Mine were the length of the fat quarter and about 3" wide.

First, sew your two strips together to make one long strip. Fold in half and iron and then sew along the length of the strip, forming a tube.

Turn inside out and iron flat. Tuck the ends in on each side and pin in place.

Sew along the edge of the entire piece. Now pick one end and loop the belt through both D rings. Fold over about an inch and sew into place. I sewed several horizontal stitches.

Now put on your belt and have someone take an awesome modeling shot for you. It helps if your bangs look a bit crazy in the photo. Also take an awkward photo of your chest. Nice.